


Privateers and Buccaneers

by BlackWitchesCat



Category: Code Geass
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-23
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-08-24 03:08:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8354545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackWitchesCat/pseuds/BlackWitchesCat
Summary: He and Lelouch had been best friends until their ship was boarded by pirates and Lelouch was lost to them. He swore that day that he would find Lelouch and bring him home. Years later, when employed in his Majesty's Royal Navy his ship is boarded by pirates once again, though the captain seems very familiar. Who is Captain Zero of The Black Knights?





	1. Blow the Man Down

The grand vessel rocked and swayed on the dark waves causing the two young boys to hold the wooden rail as they looked up at the sea of stars above them. 

The boy with ink black hair looked down as he spoke to his companion, “I hate him.”

“You mean your father, Lelouch?” the other boy questioned as he turned towards his friend. He had only met the boy three months prior when the boy boarded the ship with his sister. The boy was the same age as him and he was glad to have a friend his age on the ship, even though Suzaku had to work most of the time. The two had always found ways to be around each other and to get into trouble. It pained Suzaku that his friend would be leaving the ship soon.

It wasn’t a mystery to Suzaku the Lelouch hated his father. The man was sending his ten-year-old son and invalid child to a new colony with barely any resources. The man was the very reason his friend was sick with worry almost every night, the same worry that landing them on the deck every night, such as this one, so that his friend could empty his fluttering gut.

“There is no way we will survive in Japan, Suzaku,” Lelouch began, “We have nothing and I won’t be able to take care of Nunnally. And no offense but I doubt the native people would be so accepting of those from the same nation that conquered them.”

Suzaku bowed his head in worry. Lelouch was right, there would be no way to care for his sister and provide a steady income. The boy’s only choices at his age were, join the military as a cabin boy like Suzaku had which was not an option since he would have to leave Nunnally for months on end, or he would need to take on an apprenticeship with someone willing to feed and clothe him. Even then no one would wish to take on the extra burden of his friend's dear sister. His friend was also too weak for many labors and his nationality would scare any local away from providing work for him. Sending Lelouch and Nunnally to the small colony was a death sentence.

“What if… you apologized,” Suzaku suggested but began to backpedal as he saw the outrage on his friend’s face, “I know what he did was horrible, but for Nunnally… couldn’t you suck up your pride? It would be better than wasting away in a land you don’t know and putting Nunnally through that ordeal. He may be a harsh man, but he’s still your father.”

“Don’t you think I’ve already done that. I could never risk Nunnally like the. Father said if we could last at least a year on our own to show we weren’t complete burdens then he would reconsider, but for Nunnally to be a year without her doctors is too much.”

Suzaku nodded. His dear friend’s sister was very weak and could barely walk. She had been weak apparently since her birth which later caused Lelouch’s mother to pass only a few years later. He looked down to the water, where the light from the ship slightly illuminated the darkness around them. He didn’t know what to say, nor how to help his friend.

He was about to offer some comforting words to his friend when he saw a shadow in the dull light from the ship. The shadow was about the size and shape of a dingy but he could not distinguish if it very well was that in the terrible light. He was, again, going to turn to his friend to inquire what he made of the shadow, but a grappling hook suddenly shot up between the two of them and embedded itself into the wood railing. They looked at each other and back down only to see a man with a knife between his teeth, climb up the rope.

“Pirates,” he heard Lelouch gasp.

They stood frozen for a few seconds until Lelouch grabbed Suzaku’s knife from its sheath, on his waist, and began to cut the rope. The man went tumbling down into the water, screaming. Any relief was short lived as two more grappling hooks wrapped themselves around the railing.

“Go get the captain, Suzaku! I’ll keep cutting,” his friend said as he started on another rope, “and make sure Nunnally is okay!”

Suzaku nodded and ran to the captain’s quarters. He pounded his fists onto the wood until the man swung the door open, “What the bloody hell is it Kururugi?”

“Pirates, Sir! They’re trying to board the ship, Sir!” he yelled and saw the captain's face contort into shock and fear. Pirates were not a good thing, especially when the ship was not prepared with a fair amount of the men below deck.

The captain looked down to Suzaku, “Wake the crew and take the ‘cargo’ below deck and hide. They must not know of ‘it’s’ value.”

Suzaku nodded as he ran to the sleeping quarters below deck. He rang the bell by the door frantically while yelling, “Pirates, Captain says all hands on deck!” He then ran back to a hammock in the far back where a girl, two years his younger, looked at him fearfully.

“Where’s Lelouch,” she asked as he picked her up from the hammock and began to carry her to the storage room. When he finally put her down behind a few crates he spoke.

“Lelouch is fine but I have to go get him, okay? Stay here and be quiet, I’ll be right back with your brother, Nunnally, okay?” when she nodded he smiled and ran back above deck.

The deck was swarmed with men, some he knew and others he didn’t. His face paled as he realized that the invading men had been able to board despite his friend’s attempts at cutting the ropes. In front of him, he saw the crew try to fight the pirates off. Their swords clashed and he heard pistols shoot in the background. He stood frozen as one of the familiar crew members fell before him with a sword embedded in his chest cavity. The dark blood seeped from the body and stained the bottoms of Suzaku’s boots.

He didn’t snap from his daze until he heard his name called and a pull of his arm, “Suzaku, snap out of it! Wheres Nunnally?”

He turned to face Lelouch who frantically pulled on his arm. Shaking his head he finally responded, “Below deck, in the storage room.”

Lelouch nodded and began running, still holding onto Suzaku’s hand, “We need to get off this ship. It’s overrun with the pirates, and they most likely have some sort of reinforcements on those two ships.”

He looked to where his raven hair companion was pointing. There in the distance were two ships. The soft glow from their ship illuminated the black flags emblazoned with skulls, waving high and proud. “We need to get Nunnally and gather some provisions then get to a dingy. If they find use they’ll either kill us or ransom us. With the way things are going, they’ll be able to take the ship. We’ve been on a five-month journey and the crew is tired. These men most likely were hiding out in the nearby islands and are well rested. They’ll take the ship and kill the crew and then it is only a matter of time before they find the three of us.”

Suzaku could not argue. The more he watched the fighting around them the more pirates he saw and the less familiar faces he saw. Most of those faces were also either staring blankly at the stars or scrunched in pain as they bled out.

Hurriedly they made their way below deck to where Nunnally was hiding. Lelouch grabbed a bag and started to fill it with some provisions. He then retrieved three bottles of wine they had been storing and emptied them and refilled them with clean drinking water. Placing them in the bag as well he then slung it over his shoulder.

“You carry Nunnally and I’ll carry the bag. Stick to the shadows and avoid being seen, okay?”

Suzaku nodded and picked up the young girl onto his back. He had no idea how his friend could be so calm in a situation like this but those violet eyes showed determination to survive and protect the girl Suzaku currently held.

Lelouch nodded in return and started to leave as Suzaku followed. His friend peaked up onto the deck to see if they had an opening. With a wave of his hand, to say all clear, they dashed out from their hiding place. They would hide and dash to another hiding place until they reached a small boat on the side of the ship. Suzaku gently put the girl into the boat and climbed in after. Lelouch put the bag onto Nunnally’s lap and was about to climb into the boat himself when his hair was roughly grabbed, pulling him from the boat.

“Big brother!” Nunnally called and Suzaku dived to try and pull Lelouch back.

“Well well well, I see you brats are trying to get away,” the man who grabbed Lelouch said and he positioned the raven haired boy into a headlock. Lelouch grabbed at the arm around his neck trying to breathe as his legs flailed about.

“Let him go! We are just kids who want nothing to do with this fight!” Suzaku yelled.

The large man laughed and Suzaku could tell that the man’s breath was rank by the way Lelouch’s face scrunched up in disgust. He looked Lelouch and Suzaku over and finally spoke, “The captain might find a use for runts like you, always need new meat to replace the old and dead. And that little girl can provide lots of comfort for the boys on long sails.”

Suzaku saw Lelouch’s face pale and felt Nunnally curl up to his own side in fear. Enraged, his friend bit the man’s dirty arm causing the pirate to drop the black haired youth. The boy clambered to his feet as soon as he could and grabbed a discarded sword and held it towards the pirate.

The man laughed again and pulled out his own sword, “What cha gonna do, lad? The way you’re holding that sword, trembling and all, gives me the feeling you never held one before.”

Lelouch swallowed hard and held the sword higher. Suzaku could tell from his friend's face that he was far from confident. Slowly Lelouch backed closer to the dingy. He looked to Suzaku and then to Nunnally and Suzaku could tell by his face that his friend had come to an epiphany. There was no way they all could all escape. Lelouch couldn’t fight, nor was there enough time to jump into the dingy without the pirate grabbing one of them again. Suzaku barely had enough time to say, “no,” before his friend cut the rope with the sword and the dingy fell down into the blackness of the ocean beside the ship. He heard and felt the rush gunshots shoot past his head and the voice of Lelouch screaming “no” from above.

Next to him Nunnally cried and shivered scared and upset. Suzaku wanted to hold her and tell her Lelouch would be fine but he had to get away from the ship. He pulled out the oars and began to row away. He tried desperately to block out Nunnally’s cries and the screams from the ship.


	2. The Black Knights

The blue scenery spanned for miles and Suzaku could not tell where the sky ended and the sea began. It was a clear day and the wind was on their side. Suzaku wished there were more days as perfect as this, for sailing. He felt optimistic about the day ahead and the next to come. The voyage long, from Britannia to Japan, had been uneventful and for a sailor that was rare. Many of the men on board seemed weary of their good fortune, especially since the trip was almost at its end. They had hit no major weather fronts and the sea had been gracious and forgiving, Suzaku would rather not insult her by questioning her kindness like so many others. No all Suzaku felt was that the good fortune was a sign of favoritism and good faith from the sea herself.

It was not uncommon for him to make trips to Japan. This would be his third in the last seven years. The navy had thought it smart to have at least one native speaker of the land but they barely had to ask the Japanese boy, whenever he heard of a naval ship heading towards his former home, he always volunteer.

He had a promise to keep and there was no force that would cause him to break a promise to the twelfth princess of Britannia. It was around these waters that they had last seen her brother and though hope was dim on ever seeing the raven haired boy again he had made a promise, that night adrift, as he consoled the weeping seven-year-old girl, that he would find her brother. So whenever a voyage such as this turned up he would take the opportunity to search any port they stopped at or ship they inspected, for Lelouch.

Occupied with his thoughts Suzaku had neglected his surroundings as he practiced his knot work. It was a mind-numbing endeavor but it was something to do while on break and it never hurt to stay well practiced. The only downside was his mind tended to wander during these type of activities causing him to lose focus on the world around him, and made him the perfect victim for one of Gino's surprise attacks. Before he had time to even yell he was trapped in the blondes headlock gasping for air and pulling at the boy's arm.

"What are you thinking about, Suzaku? You keep looking at the rope so intently, I was beginning to worry you were going mad," the blonde chuckled as he released a gasping Suzaku.

"Gino," he tried to scold but was too out of breath and instead decided to ask, "why would you do that?"

The cheerful sailor only patted his friend on the back and replied, "They are serving breakfast and I thought you might be hungry."

Suzaku patted his stomach and nodded. A meal sounded nice to the young sailor, and a heavy stomach kept the mind from wandering too far. He nodded and Gino held out his hand to the Japanese youth to which the brunette gladly accepted as it hoisted him to his feet.

The two had decided to eat on deck after receiving their food, it was a lot better than eating in the cramped space below deck. It was a nice day, after all, and would have been a crime not to enjoy it. Breakfast was some salted meat the ship had picked up from the last port. It was tough to chew and Suzaku had to drink quite a bit of water after each bite. He couldn't complain, though, anything was better than hardtack. After eating that, the meat tasted tender and moist, even if it was just a hard and dry piece of pork.

"So what do you think you'll do once we make port in a few days?" The blonde next to him asked as he chewed his meat.

Suzaku shrugged. He knew what he was going to do. It was the same thing he did every time he went to Japan. He would search the port, no matter how futile it was, for a familiar pair of deep purple eyes. This time around he would also visit his cousin, though. The young Kaguya Sumeragi would be in the same port city as Suzaku. During a few correspondences prior to his departure, they had arranged a date to meet and catch up. He rarely saw any of his family and it would be nice to see the young girl again.

"Well, if you have any time and nothing better to do, you should come with me to a brothel. The Lord only knows that you need to loosen up!" Gino laughed as he smacked the Japanese youth on his posterior.

Suzaku almost choked on the dry meat in his mouth as he yelled out in surprise and guarded his behind against more assaults, "Gino!"

"See what I mean? Even your ass is as tight as all hell," the blonde laughed and sipped his beer.

Suzaku sighed, knowing he wouldn't be able to win against Gino's carefree nature. The other merely laughed as he rejoined Suzaku, leaning on the rail of the ship, as they gazed out into the blue abyss.

"I am serious, though, you need to take the time to relax. I don't know what you go looking for whenever we hit port but you're always so down when you return. If you've been looking this long… I doubt you'll ever find whatever it is you are looking for," he said as he took another sip of the golden beverage.

Gino was right and Suzaku figured he had accepted that reality a long time ago. It was merely the promise he had made to Nunnally and the knowledge that it was his failure, of not protecting the two, that kept him searching.

He sighed as his eyes scanned the pristine blue. There was nothing for miles until he spotted a small black speck in the distance. Suzaku tried to squint but could not make out the object. He doubted that is was a whale, as it was stationary and a whale that was breaching would have disappeared from view by now. It could have been a small land mass but the chances were slim, and if it was the case, the ship was possibly off course. That left only one option left, it was a ship.

"Hey, Gino, can I see your spyglass?" he asked.

The other nodded and handed him the object as his eyes too spotted the speck in the distance, "Think it's pirates?"

"No clue," he said while looking through the telescope.

Through the magnifying lenses, Suzaku saw it was indeed a small ship. Scanning the dark colored vessel his lens traveled up the mainmast. At the top was a Britannia flag waving upside down.

"It's a ship in distress!" He said looking at Gino.

The blonde's eyes narrowed, "I'll tell the captain, you keep an eye on that ship."

The now serious blonde dashed from sight and Suzaku resumed his watch. He couldn't make out any sailors on board. It could have been a possibility that the crew abandoned the ship in hope of finding land or something had happened to them. When Gino returned with the captain he handed the spyglass to the large man.

"It's small and looks built for speed. Most likely a merchant ship of ours," he said while handing the scope to the Japanese boy and continuing, "We will board to see if they are okay and if needed we will give them a tow to the nearest port."

"Captain Asprius, I didn't see anyone on board," Suzaku informed.

"Are you questioning me Lieutenant Kururugi? I ordered this ship to board that one. Now tell the rest of the crew," The rather large and fat captain sneered at his subordinate.

Suzaku merely nodded and left with Gino to inform the rest of the crew. He, however, could not shake the foreboding feeling of dread as they sailed closer to the mysterious ship. It was a deep contrast to the pleasant atmosphere of earlier.

When they were close enough to board, it was evident something was off. The whole ship was silent and one could not even hear a breath as both ships were engulfed in a thick steamy fog.

"This is strange," he turned to Gino who nodded, "there wasn't fog when I looked at the ship earlier."

"You're right, stay on guard," was the blondes clipped reply as he brushed the perspiration from his brow. The thick mist was warm and heavy on their lungs as they breathed and the humidity stuck to their skin.

They walked across the planks connecting the ships and carefully boarded the ghostly vessel. During which Suzaku could see other members of the crew draw their pistols or swords. They felt just as uneasy as him and Gino.

"Hello? Is anyone aboard this vessel. We saw your ship was in distress and are willing to give a tow to anyone belonging to his majesty's kingdom," the captain announced. After a few moments, he sighed, "Seems the ship has been abandoned. See Lieutenant Kururugi, we don't even need to tow this lowly merchant ship."

The man began to walk back to the ship but halted as a knife landed right in his path. He looked up and saw shadows emerge from the fog and surround the crew.

"And what makes you think we want a tow from some lowly Britannian dogs?" a voice laughed as a figure descended from a rope connected to the mainmast. Suzaku could hear the click of the figure's heels as they finally hit the wood of the deck.

He heard the heels click a few more times as the being finally stepped into view and out of the fog, "It was this lowly rag, wasn't it?"

Suzaku watched as the man threw the Britannia flag onto the deck and stepped on it with a polished black boot. Suzaku's eyes followed the boot, up to tight black breeches that were tucked into the boots. Further up was a black justacorps to match with gold stitching and red lining inside the coat. The man's outfit was truly extravagant from the purple plume on the hat that shrouded his face to the shine of the amethysts that hung from his elaborate eyepatch. The only thing to stand out was the plain black cloth hiding the bottom part of his face.

"How dare you throw His majesty's flag to the ground, you scoundrel! Who are you?" the captain demanded in outrage.

The answer to his captain's question left Suzaku's lips before he could even process them himself, "Pirates."

The fabric hiding the man's face crinkled as the man grinned, "Indeed we are pirates. I, though, prefer the term privateers, but we are better known as the Black Knights, in these waters."

"The Black Knights?" the captain questioned.

Suzaku heard the surrounding pirates laugh as one with spiked brunette hair stepped forward to speak, "You've never heard of the Black Knights? Next, you'll say you never heard of my main man Zero, here!"

"Zero?" Bartley questioned as he sneered at the man. "Of course I have not heard of you or this man! I would never concern myself with filth such as yourselves. Now," The captain turned to who Suzaku could only assume was Zero, "I demand you surrender, if you do without delay you might not be hanged for piracy, but this insult against his majesty and to Prince Clovis' own vessel can not be ignored!"

"I was actually thinking of a different course of action," Zero pulled out a flintlock and took aim at the captain, "We take your cargo, whatever weapons, valuables, and gun powered you have on your ship. If you do so, we will leave you and your vessel unharmed. What do you say, Captain Bartley?"

"There is no way a band of filthy eleven pirates could defeat seamen of the Britannian navy, the most p-," Bartley started to deny the pirates deal until the pirate fired into the air.

Bartley stood there a moment confused before the other sighed, "You Britannians always put your pride before your lives. So be it."

At that moment there were three loud thundering explosions as the ship rocked. Bartley looked baffled at their own ship that was just shot with three direct hits. Suzaku doubted the man even comprehended the screams of the men still on the ship.

"Direct hit to the port side, Captain Zero. The majority of their cannons are also lost and the crew still on board is scrambling in confusion," A pirate by the rail called to this Zero.

"You should have taken my offer captain," he said as he put away his gun and turned to address his own crew, "You lot know what to do. Capture the ship and take care of this group while you are at it!"

"Yes, Sir!"

At those last words, the pirates were on them before Suzaku could even blink. He barely missed the glint of a sword as it was descending on the still stunned Captain Bartley. He dashed forward and pulled out his issued cutlass just in time to block the pirate's sword.

"Captain, what are your orders?" he yelled, trying to knock the man back into reality.

The pirate was strong as they held their stance, while their swords were locked. Eventually, Suzaku pushed them black. The blue eyes, of the pirate, glared at him through red bangs, as he glared back.

Luckily the plump man, who had fallen to his knees after Suzaku saved him, stood and ordered his men to their ship. Suzaku looked over to their ship and saw it overrun with pirates already. Even if they got to their own ship they would still have to fight and with half of their cannons gone they had less of a chance against the smaller pirate vessel.

He looked back to his opponent. He would have to deal with this one first. The way they were eyeing him told him he was not going to be able to heed his captain's orders without a fight.

Just then the pirate leapt into action and ran forward, trying to swing at his side. He blocked the sword with his own but was not prepared for the foot that kicked him in the gut. He didn't have time to even gather enough air in his lungs before he had to dodge the blade of the pirate's own cutlass. This person was fast and knew how to fight.

"I don't want to fight you," he warned.

The pirate chuckled, "That's too bad because I do!"

It wasn't the sudden attack, the pirate issued after their reply, that shocked Suzaku, it was the clearly feminine voice that the pirate used that surprised him. It almost prevented him from dodging her attack.

"You're a girl?"

He grunted as she made for another swipe at his side and just catching the fabric of his naval coat.

"What; believe in those old superstitions about girls on boats?" She taunted.

"No, I'm just a little shocked," he said as he dodged another one of her attacks. He was a lot less willing to fight a girl and knew he was going to have to stick with dodging and blocking. "Why would a woman be on a pirate ship."

At his question, her face darkened, "Why is someone who is clearly Japanese on a Britannian ship!"

She was fast and Suzaku had questioned himself on whether she really was a woman or not. No women could have that much strength behind her blows. Their cutlasses clashed continuously and Suzaku was always forced back. He barely dodged as her sword nearly chopped off his head. He fell into a somersault to avoid another slash.

"Is that all you can do? Fight me like a real man and not a scared Britannian dog!" she yelled as her sword swung in a downward arc at Suzaku's still kneeling form. The force that their swords met with sent sparks flying. In his crouched position he could do nothing but try and prevent her blade from cleaving his head in two. His arms trembled as he held his sword unwaveringly against hers. Her blue eyes looked into his with an electrifying fury.

He felt her sword give, throwing him off balance as she stepped to the side. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw a glint of red and a flash of pain. Looking down to his left side, four large red gashes traveled down his side. Looking up he saw the female pirate's right hand covered in a red clawed glove with his blood dripping from the metal claws that tipped her fingers.

Suzaku tried to stand but fell as he started to feel dizzy. He hadn't lost that much blood yet so there was no reason he should have felt light headed, unless… He looked at the gloved hand again as the pirate smirked at him.

"Poison," He barely was able to say as he fell onto the deck of the ship. The last thing he saw was the ship he had been employed on, being overrun with more pirates than his crewmates. After that, he blacked out.


	3. Deal With the Devil

 The clamoring of voices was what woke him. The hushed worried whispers mixed with the sound of multiple people walking about and doing who knew what made his head pulse in pain. Green eyes opened as his head lolled to the side to see the blurred images of walking about the ship. He tried to bring his hands to his eyes to rub the blur away but found them tied, rather tightly, behind him. Struggling more he found himself tied to the main mast with a rope across his chest, along with a few of his shipmates.

 

“Thank God, you’re awake, Suzaku,” he looked over to see a fairly beaten Gino tied a man away, “I was worried when you didn’t wake up. You had a nasty gash on your side.”

 

With a few blinks of his green eyes, he was eventually able to see the worried look on his blonde friend’s face. Gino wasn’t the only one worried, however, the rest of the remaining crew seemed to talk amongst themselves watching the pirates warily as they worked around the ship.

 

He focused back on his companion and asked, “Have you heard anything?”

 

The usual cheerful face was grim, “Talks of throwing us overboard or marooning, from the crew. Nothing from the captain yet. Most of the crew that didn’t come onto this ship were left on Clovis’ ship but it was slowly sinking by the time they emptied the cargo.”

 

“What about the others and Bartley? There are only eight of us here,” Suzaku frowned at the heartlessness of the pirates. Their crew hadn’t been a large one for a navy ship but their mission did not call for a large crew. It was merely Prince Clovis using the royal navy as a mean of protection for his valuables to be delivered to him in Japan. There was only fifty of them and thirty were likely to have drowned. That left twelve unaccounted crew members.

 

“They mostly likely died when we were attacked,” his face was somber.

 

Suzaku was going to say something else but the sole of someone’s boot had pressed itself into the side of his face and against the wood pole.

 

“What are you Brits talking about?” Suzaku remembered that voice. It had been the one that had addressed Bartley besides the captain.

 

“Hey, I’m talking to you, ya filthy Brit,” he grounded his heel into Suzaku’s cheek, “Ya not trying to escape, are ya?”

 

“Stop it! We weren’t doing any of that, you stinking pirate. We were only discussing our missing comrades!” Gino yelled, drawing the attention of the pirate.

 

The man seemed as if he was going to retort but was interrupted by another familiar voice, this one more feminine, “Tamaki, Captain Zero instructed us not to cause further harm to the prisoners.”

 

Suzaku moved his eyes to see her standing tall with her hands on her hips and her red spiked hair blowing in the sea air. She looked hard, with those cold blue eyes,  at the man who currently had his foot about to crush Suzaku’s jaw.

 

The man, now known as Tamaki, only snorted, “I doubt Zero would mind a few Britannians getting what they deserved.”

 

“Are you so sure about that Tamaki,” a voice said and the one known as Tamaki removed his foot from Suzaku’s face just in time for him to see the man step out from behind the red haired woman. “If I remember correctly, you said something similar, about me not minding, when you used our funds at brothels.”

 

The fabric on the man’s face crinkled as Suzaku assumed he smiled. He didn’t like the man’s mask or the large obnoxiously extravagant hat; it obscured the other's face. All he could see was the deep purple iris of his right eye.

 

“Look Zero, they’re only prisoners and we’ll most likely just toss them overboard anyway, along with that useless captain stuck down in the brig,” the Tamaki fellow said.

 

“That matter is still undecided. They can still be ransomed or sold for a good price. That choice is not up to you, but to me and the others,” Zero said firmly.

 

Suzaku’s eyes narrowed as theY were referred to as prisoners and talked about as if they weren’t human. His eyes never left the captain as the man reprimanded the other. Suzaku couldn’t possibly doubt that they would do those things. They needed a way out, but there was no way while they were tied up nor would it matter, so far out to sea.

 

“I’m afraid your transgression cannot be ignored, Tamaki,” The man took out his gun and pointed it at the Tamaki fellow, “We, have rules on this ship.”

 

Suzaku’s eyes widened at what the pirate was doing to his own subordinate. Death was too much just for roughing up Suzaku’s face. What the pirate captain did next surprised him even more.

 

“Kallen, please untie the man Mr. Shinichirou assaulted,” He said while keeping the gun steadily pointed at the man who looked ready to soil himself.

 

The redhead reluctantly followed her captain's orders and untied Suzaku. The moment he was untied and standing, the pirate placed the gun into his hand and said, “Mr. Shinichirou Tamaki, assaulted you. I believe it is only fair you deal out his punishment.”

 

Suzaku’s eyes grew even wider at the captain’s words. He wanted Suzaku to kill the man. There was no way he could stoop so low. To kill a person in an equal fight was one thing but to kill an unarmed man whose only crime was bruising his cheek? No, he would not play into the captain’s sick game. He looked directly into that dark smirking eye then shot the gun into the air and threw it onto the ship’s deck.

“He doesn’t deserve to die over something so trivial,” Suzaku yelled.

 

“We pirates live by a strict code of conduct,” the captain started but was interrupted by Suzaku.

 

“You’re pirates! If you had any honor or conduct you wouldn’t murder and steal. You most certainly would treat your prisoners like human beings and let them have a say in their fate,” Suzaku panted.

 

The captain stared calmly at Suzaku and that same black mask wrinkled as he smiled, “Very well, Tamaki you owe this man your life. It is a debt you will repay. You will also go without supper and remain on board the next time we reach port. Is that understood?”

 

With a great sigh of relief, the man known as Tamaki nodded. The girl, known as Kallen, also seemed to relax.

 

“As for you, sir, I believe you have a point,” he said causing shock among the other two pirates, “Come with me and we will discuss the fate of your men.”

 

Suzaku was surprised, to say the least, “Wouldn’t you rather speak with our captain?”

 

“That cowardice man? He was all too willing to abandon his own crew. I find you more interesting anyway,” the man’s eye almost seemed mischievous at that point.

 

Suzaku only nodded, “If you’ll listen then I would be willing to talk.”

 

“Very well, follow me, Mister…”

 

“Oh! Suzaku Kururugi!”

 

The man nodded and took an extravagant bow, “And I am the captain of this ship, Zero.”

 

The man stood back up, only slightly taller than Suzaku himself, and motioned to him to follow. The red headed woman followed closely behind, not taking her cold blue stare from Suzaku’s back.

 

Suzaku was quiet as he followed the man to his cabin. It was nicely decorated with a bed to the right and two swords mounted to the wall behind a desk to the left. Next to the desk was a small table with assorted alcohols. The captain gestured to it, asking if he wished for a drink, as he sat behind his desk.

 

Suzaku, licked his parched lips, “You wouldn't have any water, would you?”

 

“Kallen, would please fetch Mr. Kururugi some water,” he said and she looked as if she would argue but he continued before she could, “and some antiseptic and bandages. Your poison may have run its course but it won't do if the wound becomes infected.”

 

The young woman sighed and gave Suzaku a look of warning before she left. The captain merely chuckled and gestured for Suzaku to sit as he spoke, “Kallen can be protective but does her job well.”

 

Suzaku sat and winced at his wound. He was grateful the pirate was willing to let it be treated. “She is your bodyguard then? I don't know many men to let a woman onto their boat let alone protect them.”

 

“Kallen is quite the fighter as you might know,” he pointed to Suzaku’s wound and continued, “I see no reason to deny her a place on this ship based on gender alone.”

 

Suzaku nodded in agreement as he watched the other take out some paper and some ink. He dipped the feathered pen into the well and spoke again, “Now enough idle small talk. Negotiating is what we came here to do. What do you want for your crew? You obviously understand I can't just let you go free so what is your offer?”

 

“With all due respect, Captain, you ransacked our ship and most likely killed our comrades when you left them on a sinking ship.”

 

“And you must understand that human capital is very valuable. If I am a man willing to kill that many people than you have to bring me a more enticing offer. I could certainly care less about what is right and what is wrong, Kururugi,” the captain reclined in his chair and folded his hands as he eyed Suzaku sternly.

 

Suzaku narrowed his eyes into a glare, “These men have done no wrong toward you. You instigated the attack. My crew does not deserve slavery because they wished to help a stranded vessel!” he stood in rage and instantly regretted his decision and took his seat as he clenched his wound.

 

The man before him merely watched him as if he was bored. Suzaku knew that trying to appeal to a pirates morality was pointless but men like Gino did not deserve to be sold off like cattle. Slavery was a horrid practice!

 

“Your argument is compelling and might work on a better man. Like you must have realized by now, though, I am not that kind of man. Now I do think we can come to some sort of agreement. A way to earn your freedom, Mr. Kururugi.”

 

Suzaku frowned confused and waited for the captain to continue, “We like you lost skilled men. Serve on this ship until we find eight new men, one for each one of you, and you may go free,” the man leaned forward as he gave his proposition.

 

“We aren’t pirates and that's still slavery,” Suzaku said.

 

“It is technically indentured servitude, Kururugi. Your crew and you could be set free at the next port if I can find new men there.”

 

Suzaku contemplated the man's offer, “We aren't murderers or thieves, besides how would I know you'd keep your word or that you'd even look for men to replace us. For all we know, you could be saying you're looking and just keep us until we die.”

 

“I could very well do that,” he confirmed, “We need men to man the ship and you need freedom, that is my offer.”

 

Suzaku was quiet for a moment as he thought, “We won’t participate in any raids or illegal acts.”

 

Zero seemed to become more interested in the conversation, “Now, you are learning to negotiate.”

 

“Also if you do not find crew members within a month we are still to be set free,” Suzaku continued.

 

“I can adhere to your first request. It would not benefit me if one of your men took advantage of the chaos and tried to join the other side. During any raids or battles, you and your men are to stay below deck in the brig. As for your second condition, a month is very short, how about five years,” the man countered.

 

Suzaku glared, “Five months.”

 

The man hummed, “A year, and no lower. If I cannot convince a soul to join in that time you and your men are free.”

 

The captain began writing on the piece of parchment and looked up at Suzaku after a few moments of writing, “Do you have any other requests?”

 

Suzaku thought. He never thought he would even gain the freedom of his men, ablate delayed freedom, but was there anything else to cover? He looked at the smiling man. There was no way he could trust the man before him.

 

“I also want no harm brought onto my men by you or anyone else among your crew,” he began and watched the captain nod and continued writing again as Suzaku listed off his demands.

 

When the other was done writing he placed the paper in front of Suzaku and said, “Please read before you make your mark. If you see any error please inform me.”

 

The cursive was smooth and elegant and Suzaku didn’t know what he expected from a pirate, but neat and dare he say pretty handwriting was not one of them. Shaking away those thoughts he began to read the contract.

 

_In hopes of reaching an agreement, the Captain of the Black Knights, Captain Zero, and prisoner Kururugi Suzaku have formed a contract. This contract will be upheld by both the Black Knights and Mr. Kururugi’s crew. Any infraction by either the Black Knights or Mr. Kururugi’s crew will be dealt with in accordance with maritime law. The punishment will be dealt by the captain of the Ship they reside on._

_The terms of the contract are as followed: Mr. Kururugi and his eight crew members will earn their freedom by working as part of the Black Knights as indentured servants. Mr. Kururugi and his eight crew members will be set free once adequate replacements are found for each man and himself or they have served on the Black Knight’s ship for the duration of a year._

_Mr. Kururugi and his crew will promise to stay on the ship and act as part of Captain Zero’s crew. Mr. Kururugi’s crew will have to carry out the duties handed out to them listed below:_

  1. _Keep a clean ship._

  2. _Help prepare food._

  3. _Move cargo when needed._

  4. _Help with ship repairs._

  5. _Help the crew of the Black Knight where help is needed, such as but not limited to; changing sails, tying ropes, upkeep on cannons, and lifting and lowering of the dinghies._




_Mr. Kururugi and his crew shall not:_

  1. _Steal food, cargo or any personal items from any member of the Black Knights._

  2. _Harm or kill a Black Knight._

  3. _Go ashore without an official Black Knight to chaperone and prevent escape._

  4. _They are not allowed to abandon their duties to the ship until adequate replacements are found or they have worked for the Black Knight for the duration of one year._




_Mr. Kururugi and his crew must also conform to the Black Knights code of conduct. Which will be reviewed by Mr. Kururugi, whose job it is to inform his crew and to make certain they follow said_ code _of conduct._

_As well Captain Zero and his crew, The Black Knights, must adhere to Mr. Kururugi’s demands regarding the safety of his crew:_

  1. _Mr. Kururugi and his crew shall not be forced to participate in any piracy such as murder, looting, and the taking of a ship._

  2. _Mr. Kururugi and his crew are entitled to at least two meals a day. The meals must also be no less than the food the Black Knights are given._

  3. _No harm should befall Mr. Kururugi or his crew at the hands of a Black Knights._

  4. _Mr. Kururugi and his crew are entitled to adequate medical treatment if any harm is to befall them._

  5. _Mr. Kururugi and his crew are entitled to at least six hours of rest a night. They are as well entitled to three breaks a day for the duration of an hour._

  6. _Nothing is to be stolen from Mr. Kururugi or his crew._




_If any of these provisions are neglected to be enforced than the contract is to become null and void and Mr. Kururugi and his crew to be set free at the next port._

_As for former Captain Bartley, he is not subject to these terms and will be ransomed as soon as possible. It is the word of Captain Zero, however, that former Captain Bartley be treated with respect and dignity and that no harm befall him during his stay._

 

Suzaku read the document twice and signed right under the large flowing letters of Captain Zero. He hoped that he had done the right thing. It was most certainly better than permanent slavery or marooning. The safety of his crew was also guaranteed if this Captain Zero kept his word.

 

The man before him took the paper and examined Suzaku’s signature and nodded approvingly. At that moment, however, a very irritated Kallen entered the cabin.

 

“Captain, we’re running low on medical supplies; are you sure you want to waste them on a prisoner?” she asked setting the water and medical supplies on the table.

 

“Afraid so. Mr. Kururugi has just agreed to be a part of our crew, within reason of course, for some time. One of the conditions of this agreement, however, was that he and his crew received adequate treatment for any wounds,” he began as he placed the contract into a desk drawer, “We will have to stop at port anyways to sell some contraband. While we are there, we’ll buy some more medical supplies and rations.”

 

The girl seemed to glare even more at Suzaku and Zero sighed as he stood, “We needed replacements and they will do until I can find some.” He walked around his desk and picked up a cloth and the alcohol, which he poured onto the cloth. The captain looked Suzaku into the eye and spoke, “If you won’t help his with his wounds Kallen, I will. Lift your shirt, Kururugi.”

 

Suzaku blinked and lifted his shirt, “I can do this myself you know.”

 

He hissed as the other man dabbed the cut with the alcohol. The man only chuckled and said, “I don’t doubt it, but these wounds need stitching and if you are flinching in pain while stitching yourself, the stitchwork will be messy and risk of infection will become more likely..”

 

Kallen sighed her cold eyes never leaving Suzaku’s cringing face, “Better you do it, Captain. You are better than me and Rakshata is busy with the others. She’s helping the ones more in need of medical supplies and stitching.”

 

Zero chuckled as he threaded a needle, “You are usually so full of fiery passion but can be so frigid sometimes, Kallen.”

 

Suzaku saw the woman blush at her captain’s words. It almost distracted him from the other man lighting a match and holding it under the bent needle. When the needle was sterilized he looked at Suzaku as he bit off his back gloves and said, “You need to be still. There is a piece of leather on the desk to bite.”

 

Suzaku nodded and placed the material in his mouth. He bit down instantly as the man started to sew the four slashes shut. It was slow but Suzaku could tell the man had a practiced hand. When he was done, Zero gave Suzaku a shot of rum, that he gladly tossed back, and wrapped his torso with bandages.”

 

“It may not be anywhere on par with Rakshata’s stitchwork but it’ll do. After a week or so see her, to take the stitches out,” he said and returned to his desk, “You may go tell your crew of our agreement. Kallen, please show Mr. Kururugi and his crew to some proper lodging. I will inform the crew in a few moments of our agreement.”

 

The red haired woman nodded and turned to leave. Suzaku winced as he stood to follow and shot the strange man one last glance before exiting with the female pirate.


	4. Calm Start

Suzaku followed Kallen back to his crew, still tied to the main mass. The woman was quiet but he didn't mind. When he returned to his crew the woman knelt down and cut the ropes.

The men looked confused and focused their questioning looks onto Suzaku.

Gino was the first to stand and hurry over to Suzaku, "What happened? You were gone for some time."

It wasn't Suzaku who answered him, though, but the red-haired woman, "He made a deal with the Captain. I'm sure he'll make an official announcement but until then follow me to your lodging. Your friend can explain everything to you then."

The blonde seemed even more confused and turned his look back towards Suzaku. His friend had the good sense to wait until they reached a cabin below deck with empty hammocks.

Before leaving the girl grumbled that before the sun set the doctor, Rakshata, would look over their wounded. That only made the crew's curiosity grow and once she left they round on Suzaku. They threw question after question and yelled over one another.

Suzaku was a little overwhelmed but could not blame them. Their fate had been in his hands.

With a sigh, he sat in one of the hammocks and waited for the questions to die down. When it was finally quiet he spoke, "If the Captain on this ship keeps his word we will be safe."

The crew seemed to relax a small bit. Gino took the opportunity to speak before another waterfall of questions could follow, "How do you know?"

The hammock dipped more as his friend joined him. He looked at the blonde's serious face and felt the heavy weight of responsibility. "We entered into an agreement that should benefit us both," he started and watched the crew's faces darken, "We have to serve as part of his crew for at least a year or until he can find men to enlist that can replace us."

As expected the men were outraged. They were Britannian, and serving on a pirate's ship of Japanese was not something self-respecting Britannians did.

Before the cries of outrage could get out of control Gino stepped in,"Enough, I'm sure if he had any other option he would have taken it."

Suzaku silently thanked Gino as he started to explain his reasoning, " It was either this or be sold as slaves. The Captain was adamant about making up for the human capital, as he put it, that he lost in the raid. It was either this or slavery and this deal provides us with protection long enough to at least devise a plan of action."

Gino seemed to understand and nodded his head in agreement, "Can we trust this guys word, though?"

"I don't know, but it's the only thing we have as protection. We won't have to participate in any piracy only labor, and I made sure there were conditions," Suzaku said as he started explaining the terms of the contract. The crew seemed to relax more and more but still seemed upset at the situation. At best the contract bought them time at worse the Captain didn't honor his part of the bargain but it truly was the best they could ask for when they had no leverage.

"What about our Captain?" a man with a scar on his right cheek asked. He was a tall and lean man with pale purple hair and a goatee to match. The man outranked Suzaku and he could tell the Britannian was not happy about Suzaku dictating his fate.

Suzaku, though, looked down and sighed, "Captain Bartley is not subject to the terms of the contract and is going to be ransomed. He isn't to be harmed, though."

There was quiet as they digested his words. Most of them seemed to accept the current situation until an opportunity arrived the scarred man, however, was not one of them.

"So we are just going to abandon our Captain on the grounds of a contract between two Japanese monkeys?" the man with the scar asked."Don't you see? He is selling us out to his own kind!"

"I can personally assure you that your assumptions are not the case," Suzaku heard the voice of Captain Zero from the doorway. He stood tall and proud as the men turned to him.

The goateed man stood and glared at the other and questioned, "How can we be so sure? Seems reasonable that two of the same breed would be in cahoots together"

Behind Zero, Suzaku saw the man's ever present red shadow almost jump at the scarred man.

The Captain stopped her and chuckled, "Because I am not Japanese, Sir, and am in fact Britannian. You will also find that even though this ship may have a majority of Japanese it is quite diverse with even some other Britannians among us."

Eyes widened at the man's claim of being Britannian. He wasn't just a pirate but a traitor to his own country.

Zero then continued, "I also warn, that you should show Mr. Kururugi the respect he deserves for saving your hides. And if anything is to happen to him, you will lose your protection, after all, he signed on your behalf."

The scar-faced man sat down but never stopped glaring. The object of his scrutiny, though, did not seem to pay him any mind and continued to address the crew, "That being said, I am sure Mr. Kururugi has informed you of the contract. I have informed my crew also well and made certain they understood what would happen if the contract is broken. Tomorrow, after breakfast, you will report to Kaname Ohgi for assignment at the main mast. Work hard and our contract should benefit us both. It was a pleasure meeting you all."

The men begrudgingly nodded. Zero, who was satisfied turned, and left but not before greeting a blonde Indian woman who seemed to have arrived while he was talking. He nodded and passed her along with Kallen as he left.

The Indian woman looked most of the crew up and down as she officially entered their cabin, "So you are the extra labor I'll be stitching up."

"A woman doctor, too?" the scarred man seemed to grumble but said no more.

The woman only smiled as she took a long inhale from her pipe and walked over to Suzaku, "Captain told me to check your stitches first."

Suzaku blinked but complied as he lifted his shirt. The doctor hummed to herself and exhaled into Suzaku's face. He wrinkled his nose as he tried not to cough.

"Amature but I can't complain. Better than letting you bleed on his nice rug," she said while turning to the other men, "Okay, the rest of you line up. Those with the worse wounds in front, please."

The crew followed orders with minimal fighting. Gino seemed to stay next to Suzaku. When Suzaku aimed to question him the other replied with a wink and said, "Not injured. I was able to actually avoid getting hurt."

The green eyed youth smiled and kicked the blonde from his hammock so he could lay down and finally rest. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more but to close his eyes.

Gino laughed while rubbing his back from the kick. Then in a very Gino like fashion, he cut to the front of the line and begged the unamused Indian woman to stop the pain.

He chuckled as he saw the woman knock the blonde over the head with her pipe. Then with a yawn, he rolled onto his back and let the rocking of the boat lull him to sleep.

And for the first time in a while, he dreamed of light laughter and happy purple eyes.

* * *

Two purple eyes looked back at him while running as the raven haired boy called out to him, "Suzaku, come on. You have to hurry."

"Lelouch, wait up!" he puffed. The boy had never been athletic but no matter how hard Suzaku ran, he could not match the other's speed.

"Come on, Suzaku! Hurry up!" the child got farther away and started to fade into the blue

"I can't! Wait, Lelouch!"

"Come on, Suzaku! Before it's too late," the voice was deeper and not at all childlike, "Suzaku!"

Then he felt his world shake and fade as again he heard-

"Suzaku, come on! Hurry up, before it's too late to get breakfast!"

Suzaku blinked twice and turned his head to see a pouting blonde shaking him. With a huff, he cuffed the blonde on the side of his head and sat up in his hammock. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and let out a loud yawn.

"Ow, why'd you do that?" the blonde whined as he rubbed his sore head.

"You were annoying," Suzaku yawned again as he stood and put on his shirt from the day before. His nose wrinkled at the ripped and bloody shirt.

Gino looked at the shirt and whistled, "Hopefully I don't go up against that red head. Think she's single?"

The blonde must have seen Suzaku's annoyed face and sighed, "You're a lot less chipper than usual this morning. Did you sleep well?"

Suzaku shrugged in response. He had fallen asleep fine but the trouble was falling back asleep. Every so often he was woken up by either the shifting of the boat or a nightmare. The nightmares mostly consisted of the Black Knights' captain turning on them and breaking the contract. The last dream, however, wasn't something he had dreamt of in years.

Frowning, the other watched Suzaku yawn a third time before he slung his arm over the brunette's shoulder and smiled, "Well let's just see if these pirates raided any ships that had coffee on them. That will perk you right up and have you do the work of ten men!"

"Gino," he scolded but grinned nevertheless as the ascended some stairs up to the deck.

The deck was busy with men working on multiple projects. Over by the rail, near the starboard side of the ship, sat his crew eating. Gino and Suzaku walked over and joined them as a blue haired male handed each of them a bowl.

"Thanks, Rivals," Gino said.

"Least I could do after everything Suzaku did for us," Rivals said as he scratched his cheek.

Suzaku nodded his gratitude and quickly started to eat the porridge in the bowl, the blue haired boy gave him. It was tasteless but what more could one ask for on a ship.

"So, what kind of work do you think they'll give us? I really hope it's not mopping. That's all I did on our ship," Rivals said as he tried to make conversation.

"We might be lucky to get mopping. Beats scraping barnacles off the ship," Gino said, "especially since you can't hold your breath long."

Suzaku rolled his eyes and spooned some porridge into his mouth. Again it was tasteless and he couldn't help but crave the sweet pastries he would receive whenever he would meet with Nunnally. It saddened him that he would have to wait a rather long time to see the princess again. He hoped, when news reached her about the fate of their ship, she would not worry too much.

They ate their bland food with relevantly quiet small talk. When they were done they put their dishes into a basin for cleaning and assembled at the main mast for orders. There stood a curly haired Japanese man.

When he spotted them he nervously smiled and introduced himself, "Hello, I am Kaname Ohgi, first mate of this ship."

The man known as Ohgi seemed disheartened by their lack of response and even malice from some of the men. He fumbled around with some paper as he nervously handed them to Suzaku and his shipmates. The green eyed boy could clearly see the man was insecure about giving orders; especially to hostile sailors.

Suzaku pitied the man, though not too much since his crew did capture Suzaku's. He turned his eyes from the nervous man and read off his list. It was fairly simple grunt work: mop the deck; polish the canons, haul grain from the storage to the kitchen for supper. It didn't seem too difficult and he assumed the captain was testing them with how simple the list was. Glancing over he read some of Gino's list. It seemed similar enough with some slight differences; after all, they couldn't all bring grain to the kitchen. The list had about the same amount of chores as his. Suzaku's, however, had an extra chore… apparently, the captain wanted to see him after supper.

He frowned at the last chore. It didn't seem all that odd, to be honest. It made sense that the captain would want to see him after, most likely to discuss how the crew was doing and all. With a nod, Suzaku put the list inside his pocket and grabbed a bucket to start mopping. He silently heard complaining from some of the men. Most of it came from the man that had previously challenged him last night. It made sense, the man was the second command on their ship, grunt work was usually beneath men of his status. He sighed and ignored the man. The faster he finished with this work the sooner he could collect his thoughts.

At the moment Suzaku was tasked mopping with Rivalz and they were making good time. The blue haired boy had a lot of practice with the chore since he was new to sailing and low in the military. Apparently, the poor sap joined to impress a girl back in Britannia. He had no noble blood and thought the easiest way to earn her family's approval was to rise in the ranks. He obviously had no idea the work he had gotten himself into. Suzaku honestly felt bad that Rivalz first voyage turned out with him being kidnapped by pirates.

As the day progressed Suzaku took notice to many things around the ship. It wasn't the largest ship that Suzaku had seen but it was not the smallest either. He took notice that the captain had not been lying when he said the crew was diverse. It was quite clearly a Japanese ship but he saw numerous different people. There were Chinese men and women as well as a few Britannians. One Britannian, in particular, had been watching him and his crew throughout the day. The man wasn't hard to spot with his long blonde hair mostly swept back in a low ponytail, save for his long bangs. He stuck out on a mostly Asian ship and he did not try to hide his observations either. When he and Suzaku made eye contact the man would raise an eyebrow and continue writing.

Besides the unnerving watching from the blonde and the glares from the Japanese crew, the day went smoothly and supper was upon them. He tiredly waited in line for whatever bland dish was to be served. He was not disappointed when the chef dumped some thick slop into his bowl. Suzaku accepted it gratefully as he saw the pirates receive the same gruel. That had been another promise the captain had kept, they were being treated no different than the man's own crew.

He was about to leave to eat his dinner above deck when he heard some squabbling. It wouldn't usually bother him but the voice was familiar. He took a deep breath and turned to be greeted by the site of the former Second in Command of Suzaku's ship yelling at, surprisingly, Rivalz who was on the ground covered in that evening's supper. The man, that was starting to become a problem. Suzaku was, however, a little thankful he went off on Rivalz instead of one of the pirates.

"You Damn oaf," he yelled at the rapidly apologizing Rivalz, "because of you I'm now wearing my dinner."

Suzaku sat his supper down on a table and went to help the poor blue haired boy. He knelt to his friend's height and took his arm to lift him up and turned to the aggravated man, "Sir, he is sorry so please accept it. We are all stressed but attacking each other wi-"

Sadly the Japanese boy didn't get to finish his sentence as the other man took him by the collar and turned his anger to Suzaku, " Stressed? If it weren't for you none of us would be in this mess. You're most likely happy to be with your fellow monkeys."

Suzaku was used to prejudice but he was shocked at the pure malice that dripped from the others mouth. He was more used to the calm and collected mocking the other normally used. He wondered if this was what happened when power was dragged out from under one's feet. It was like watching a predator in denial lash out in anger.

"Sir, please. You can insult me but please refrain from insulting our hosts," he said, between grit teeth, as he saw many of the pirates give dark looks their way. Suzaku's superior thankfully saw the dark looks too and dropped Suzaku as he left taking Suzaku's bowl.

He sighed in relief and smiled as he took Rivalz's outstretched hand. He calmed his nervous friend and declined the others offer to give Suzaku his bowl.

"Really Rivalz, it's okay. I have to talk with the captain anyway. Enjoy your meal and try to stick with Gino to avoid any more trouble," he said as he laughed off the other's concerns. He also saw the irony in telling Rivalz's to stay with Gino to avoid trouble.

"Be careful, Suzaku. He is a pirate after all," Suzaku heard Rivalz's call after him sullenly. He only waved back and left for Captain Zero's quarters

* * *

There on his bed lay a beauty unlike any other. Her long green hair flowed to her waist, covering the plump chest. Her golden eyes looked into his violet eye as she grinned at him. He could only sit and watch as she ate a plate of grapes while wrapped in nothing but his sheets. He couldn't stop himself. He had to speak his mind.

"Could you please not eat on my bed," he growled out as he ate a spoonful of gruel before him, "and could you please put some clothes on!"

"Oh come now, Lelouch, at least I'm not eating that delicious bread with cheese and tomatoes, again. What did those Italians call it? Pizza? Really, those Italian peasants made something amazing just from the scraps leftover from the tables of nobles," she said while spitting out a seed onto his white sheet.

If the witch before him had not saved his life on numerous occasions he was sure he would have marooned her long ago. Sadly he doubted marooning her would even work. She had a nasty habit of always knowing where he was.

"Yes, it was pizza and I remember. My mattress smelt like cheese for weeks," he scrunched up his nose at the memory.

The sea witch merely smiled at him as she popped another grape past her pink lips, "Oh calm down, Lelouch. By the way shouldn't Mr. Kururugi be more of a concern than my eating habits?"

Lelouch looked at her annoyed, "What do you mean?"

Her eyes seemed to narrow as she took on a more serious expression and responded, "You know exactly what I mean boy. Is it really wise to keep him on this ship? We both know that the only reason those sailors are alive is that of your sentimental feelings for a childhood friend. He is a weakness. That's not to mention that the longer he is around you, the more likely your identity is to be revealed and no matter what childish sentiments you may hold towards him, he is still part of the Britannian military."

He grinned at her, "If I didn't know any better, C.C., I would say you were concerned."

She sighed as she stood up and started to pull on one of his white shirts, "I am merely concerned with your ability to keep your promise."

"Don't worry," he rested his cheek in the palm of his hand as he boredly watched her button the shirt, "I will keep my end of the deal. I really don't need you ripping your accursed pearl from my head."

She glared at him as he smirked back. With a shake of her head, she replied, "Put your mask on, your guest is here."

He frowned at her dry remark and pulled the mask around his neck up to cover the lower half of his face. Before he could tell her to let Suzaku in, she opened the door to reveal a confused Suzaku about to knock.

* * *

Suzaku stood there frozen in his place. He was a decent man who never disrespected a woman in his life, but he had never been faced with a woman so scantily dressed. It was a shock to see Kallen wearing pants but the woman in front of him only wore a shirt, leaving the entirety of her pink legs exposed. He tried to look away but his eyes only fell onto the unimpressed captain sitting at his desk.

The man merely rolled his eye and addressed the woman, "C.C., please stop intimidating poor Kururugi and put some pants on."

"Whatever you say, Captain," she said while turning around and walking to the chest at the foot of the bed. When she bent over to pull out a pair of brown trousers Suzaku quickly shut the door and practically ran to the Captain's desk. At least while facing the one-eyed man he couldn't see the woman's posterior.

The man in front of him merely laughed at Suzaku's blushing face. The Japanese boy imagined he must have looked redder than a tomato.

"I apologize for C.C.'s behavior, she can be a bit open," the man said as Suzaku took a seat.

"Its… um… fine, I just wasn't expecting your mistress to be here while we talked," he said and swore he felt his face become hotter.

"Oh please, he is way too young for me," the woman scoffed behind him.

"You do make a compelling case against what you say, C.C.," he shook his head and looked to Suzaku, "What she says though is true, no matter what Tamaki may say. She is more like an accomplice."

Suzaku nodded at the man's explanation, "Oh well, I am happy you aren't taking advantage of a young woman and stealing her virtue."

He heard the woman behind him break into a fit of laughter as she walked into his line of sight. She seemed amused by his statement.

"Did I say something wrong," he questioned when he saw that even the man before him seemed strained to stay composed.

"It just seems hard to picture a sea witch as virtuous," Captain Zero explained.

Suzaku was confused and felt uncomfortable while being the butt of the two's joke. Finally, he was granted reprieve by whatever deity there was as the man, before him, became serious and moved onto business.

"So report on today's affairs. How is your crew? Did everything proceed smoothly? Are conditions to your liking?"

Suzaku nodded, "Yes, we are grateful for the hospitable treatment you and your crew have shown us. We still aren't happy with our situation but for what the situation is we could be treated worse. Some men in my crew, though, are on edge and seem to be taking it out on each other. During supper, a mild scuffle broke out between two members of my crew. One had accidentally caused the other to drop his meal and the man promptly took his frustration out on the other. I dealt with the situation quickly but the one who was agitated may have offended your crew with some remarks. I will assure you I will speak with him once this meeting is done."

The Captain nodded his head as he took in Suzaku's report, "There are bound to be a few bumps along the way. I'm actually surprised none of you attempted mutiny. I would say today was a success, Mr. Kururugi."

Suzaku nodded but was perplexed at the others laid back attitude towards his crew's behavior. The other seemed to understand Suzaku's confusion and voiced his reasoning, "I am the captain of a crew made up of pirates, of course, there will be disagreements and arguments between crew members every day. As long as they can be solved without my intervention, I find it to be a quite peaceful day."

Again he nodded with a better understanding of the man. It came to him as a great relief that as long as he kept the men in order then things would be okay.

"Now if that is all, I would like to return to my meal," the one-eyed man gestured to his bowl.

"Oh! Of course, I'm sorry if I interrupted yo-" he was cut off by a loud growl coming from his stomach.

"Oh, it seems someone is still hungry," the green haired woman smiled as she sat on the edge of the desk.

Suzaku blushed, "I gave my bowl to the one that lost his."

The woman seemed unimpressed, "You are some kind of saint aren't you. Wouldn't even look twice at my ankles."

Zero seemed to chuckle at that and pulled out an apple from his draw, "Of course he wouldn't want to look at your scaley legs. Only a sailor stranded at sea would find a witch like you attractive."

"You are such a charmer," she huffed. Zero only chuckled as he tossed the apple towards Suzaku.

"Um, this isn't my place but should you really call a lady a witch," he said as he caught the apple.

Surprisingly it was the woman who answered, "There is nothing wrong with calling me a witch when I am one."

Suzaku's eyes widened in shock as he looked at the beautiful woman before him. In all the Britannian stories he heard, witches were evil hags. He looked towards the man across from him, silently asking if the woman was serious.

The man merely shrugged, "You can believe her or not. Being on a pirate ship alone is enough to be hung. So she may be burned instead of hanged; death is death. Besides, to have a sea witch on the ship may turn the tides in our favor."

C.C. sniffed at that as she spoke, "Like I would ever manipulate the seas for you."

"My life would be so much easier if you did," He sighed and turned to Suzaku, "anyway, hopefully, that apple will hold you over until breakfast tomorrow."

Suzaku nodded a little perplexed at the duo's mannerisms. He stood dazed and walked to the door but was stopped again by the captain, "Oh and Mr. Kururugi please inform your men that we will be making port sometime after tomorrow. Remind them that if they wish to leave this ship they will need a companion from my crew to escort them."

"Yes Sir, I will make sure I do that. Good night Captain and to you too Ms. C.C.," he said as he left.

He almost completely missed the comment of the self-proclaimed witch before he left, "He never once looked at my ankles. He really acts like a saint."

Suzaku couldn't help but chuckle at her insulted tone as he walked back to his cabin while eating the apple.


End file.
